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Month: January 2017

Short post. I’m writing this just two short days after having laser eye surgery. I was told at the age of 11, I had to start wearing glasses. Just in school – to see the black board properly. By the age of 13, I was wearing them full time, much to my disappointment. I was made fun of… I’m sure my buck teeth (thank goodness for braces!) didn’t help anything. Contact lenses are another thing I’m thankful for and started wearing them regularly when I was 15. When we lived in Canada, I would alternate every other day wearing glasses or contacts. But I have always been super self conscious wearing glasses, so when we made the move to California -I vowed no one would ever see me wearing them. It probably sounds silly to some of you, but that’s just how I felt.

When I first hear of laser eye surgery, I thought it sounded kind of strange. But after it was around for a few years and knowing several people (including my sister) having had it done, I got curious enough to talk to my eye doctor about it. That was over 10 years ago. I have been told by several eye doctors that no eye surgeon would ever touch my eyes because of some weird eye condition I have/had. I gave up hope for a bit, but when I changed eye doctors a couple of years ago, I figured I’d ask again. And the eye doctor said it can’t hurt to at least get a consult from the laser eye doctor she recommended. Turns out it was meant to be as he saw no reason I couldn’t get the surgery done.

I could not get traditional Lasik surgery, like most people get, because of some weird eye issues. But, he was able to perform custom PRK laser eye surgery. The downsides are that it has a much longer recovery time, a week compared to a few days. I actually can’t really see what I’m typing right now – forgive my typos 😉

I’ll have a follow up tomorrow and my vision should improve over the next few days and stabilize over the next few months. I thought I would share with you my (hopefully) last picture wearing glasses:

Have you had laser eye surgery? Is it something you would consider?

ps. Sorry for getting behind on blog reading… since I can’t really read 😉 I hope to be back at it in a few days. Big thanks to Mary Ellen for handling HVF this week!

Happy Friday! I hope you are gearing up for an exciting weekend. Nothing too exciting going on here. Sunny did just get a new haircut though!

Announcing Valentine’s Day Themes!

Share all of your heart-worthy recipes next Friday, February 3rd. Mary Ellen and I will share our favourites on Friday, February 11th. It will be in time for you to make some fun, holiday-themed treats for the big day.

Veggies in a smoothie? It’s not something I typically do. I like my smoothies fruit-filled for a sweet start to the day. But the combination of carrot & mango has me pausing for thought – I bet it would be dee-licious! And a great way to sneak in some veggies.

Is it just me or is bok choy a seriously under-rated veggie? It’s actually one of my fav veggies ever, but I know it’s not most people’s jam. I usually slice it thinly and hide it in a stir fry. But this flavourful soup would be a great way to introduce this under-appreciated green. Tofu and mushrooms add some nice bulk too.

I always admire those that try making their own homemade creations like this. It’s not something that comes easily to me. Fortunately, there are people like Shaheen who are pioneers in the kitchen and make things easier for us. Sweet potatoes coupled with beans make for a tasty kebab – paired with a side veggie, it would make a perfect, hearty meal.

I looooooove potatoes. But I will admit that I tend to just plainly bake them. Combining potatoes with veggies in these fun patties make for a quick mid-week meal. It would be great to use leftover veggies to clean out the fridge in these!

I always make the same overnight oats – chocolate! I can’t wait to shake things up with this yummy strawberry parfait-like version. I’m totally trying the version with coconut whipped cream. This will help get me going in the mornings!

I made my way from California to Canada as my mom had knee replacement surgery. She is actually recovering much better than expected, but she still experienced quite a bit of pain. She didn’t have much of appetite from the pain medication they had her on, so I wanted to think of something light and flavourful for her to eat, as well as help with her pain.

Pineapple stirfry to the rescue! Mom is actually a bit of a picky eater, but I know she loves pineapple. It was easy to create a meal around that. I cooked up some brown rice and lightly sautéed some veggies with the pineapple and made a light sauce. I snuck in some fresh ginger to help with her inflammation.

Heat a large wok on the stove on medium heat. Add the coconut oil, garlic, ginger & carrot and sautée for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli & snap peas and sautée another couple of minutes. Then add your pepper and sautée another minute. Finally add your pineapple with the soy sauce and maple syrup and just stirfry until heated through. Serve on brown rice or your favourite grain.

**Side note. I got extremely behind on blog reading during and after MoFo. The holidays didn’t help anything either. After stressing out and struggling to catch up, my Bloglovin’ app just recently decided I am caught up to January and I just didn’t have the energy to go to each individual blog I follow (24+!) and check to see how far I had got along. So I am starting from January and will try and keep up – my apologies if I miss an important post/event in your life. Honestly – I’m feeling a bit of a weight lift off my shoulders at this though 😉

I am writing this post while sitting next to my mom (with two pups between us, mine & hers) on her bed in Corunna, Ontario, Canada. I flew out last week to stay with her after she had her knee replaced. No one could have prepared either of us for how much work this would entail! Goodness. I really have taken on the role of a full time caregiver. I’m a cook, cleaner, dog walker, dish washer, launderer, physiotherapist (helping her with exercises multiple times a day), pharmacist (dispensing 6 different types of meds!), appointment maker, visitor entertainer, errand runner, spa technician (fancy word to help her bathe haha). Doesn’t really leave much time for blogging, but I’m enjoy visiting with mom and the rest of the family.

Johanna’s Spinach Salad with Spiced Nuts & Cranberries. I forgot the cranberries haha. And I had to sub romaine for spinach, but the crunch was nice. The spiced nuts were warming and really made this salad shine.

This AMAZING Cashew Cheese from Nuts for Cheese I found in Sarnia. It’s nothing short of amazing. My only regret is that I can’t buy any to take with home back to California.

I made my Stuffed Squash for Terry and I before leaving for Canada so he could have the leftovers. Lucky guy.

CUPCAKES that said special guest brought with them allllll the way from Burlington!

This healing pineapple stirfry made for mom (stay tuned for the recipe!).

Mary Ellen’s Black Forest Baked Oatmeal. I am not typically a cherry fan, but Terry is, so I made this more for him than me. But I loved it! The chocolate really adds a good flavour and the cashew whipped cream isn’t necessary, but a touch that makes for a good lazy Sunday breakfast.

Not pictured (as I forgot!) is Julie’s Crock Pot Lentil Soup. It was the perfect batch meal to make for the cold Canadian weather. Simple and makes enough for several servings – I really enjoyed it.

This vegan, gluten-free pizza I enjoyed from Giresi’s in Sarnia, Ontario. Who knew Sarnia upped their game and could accommodate people like me? I noticed their menu said they had gluten-free crust and had vegan mozz, so I emailed them ahead of time asking if I could indeed order a vegan & gluten-free pizza – they emailed back promptly confirming they could. I wasn’t expecting much to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised. They make a tasty pizza! I liked the fresh mushrooms especially as many places use canned. And the crust! I don’t know what kind of oven they used, but it definitely reminded me of fresh, wood-fired pizza.

Take out from my favourite restaurant where my mom lives, Greens Organic Café. They brought their A game the day I went as I went home with this amazeballs burrito! “A wheat tortilla grilled with seitan chorizo sausage, mozzarella, brown rice & pinto beans adobados. Topped with cashew sour cream & tomato chipotle salsa. Served with greens & guacamole.” Not the best picture, but believe me – it was insanely delicious. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – if you ever find yourself anywhere in the Sarnia, Ontario vicinty – this place is worth the trip.

I may have left Greens with a gluten-free, vegan, chocolate pb cucpake!

Out of my kitchen:

All of the get well wishes my mom received from friends and family. I felt like I was living in a florist shop haha 😉

This bootcamp that I did with my sister’s friend at 6am one morning. Yes, we almost died – but we did it!

Walks along the water with my special guest and one of my very favourite people in the world.

Happy Friday! Baby, it’s the freakin’ weekend. I am in cold, cold Southwestern Ontario, Canada right now. I did catch a couple of gorgeous sunrises though. Sunny has been enjoying the company of my mom’s dog, Peanut.

I am totally into quick meals right now – especially during the week. I haven’t been as much fan of cold salads, but spices are warming and packed with protein from the chickpeas, it makes for a great lunch.

I am totally guilty of being lazy with my dressing. Lemon + olive oil = done. I really need to branch out and be more creative with my dressings to make salads more appealing, especially in the cooler months. This will be a great start =)

A girl after my own heart – we’re both sharing air fryer recipes today =) I have only tried making “fries” in my fryer, this is something different for me. I really love potato chips and think it sounds fun to make my own instead of buying the not so healthy store bought variety.

Speaking of Asian flavours! Check out this glorious bowl of goodness. This flavour-packed dish comes together quickly & easily. Great for a weeknight meal and will help avoid getting take out when you’ve got a hankering for Chinese food. YUM!

Ok – prepare to be picture spammed. This post is dedicated to all of the amazing food we had on our recent trip to LA. There was A LOT of food…. so there are A LOT of pictures 😉

We were meeting a friend visiting from Canada for supper. We were wandering around downtown LA and I could not BELIEVE the amount of random vegan food places I was seeing when we decided to try Tender Greens. They were super friendly, helpful and easily able to accommodate my vegan diet and even switched out the non-vegan tzatziki for their vegan hummus. I tried the falafel salad and it was SO GOOD!

As we’d had a very small lunch earlier in the day, we found ourselves still hungry as we pulled up to a Whole Foods near our Airbnb. LOOK WHAT WE FOUND!!

Dear Whole Foods,
I love you.
Love me.

While we were there, we figured we would pick up a few essentials for our stay and we found these for breakfast.

We had never tried these flavours and were pleasantly surprised. A little high in sugar – not something I would normally buy, but very delicious and made for a fun vacation breakfast.

As we strolled around Venice looking for our lunch spot, we were told it would be a wait. We wandered by this truck a mere block away and decided to start with dessert!

Only in LA could I randomly stumble across an ice cream truck with vegan options. Thank you Van Leeuwen’s for the delicious treat!

Terry tried pistachio, I of course went the funner route with Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk.

We weren’t feeling too hungry by the time we got to The Butcher’s Daughter. It took a little while for our food to come, which was fine and built our appetites back up. It was well worth the wait, the food and service at this place are seriously top notch. It’s not vegan, but super veg-friendly and easy to make requests to veganize something. I got the Surfer’s Breakfast and subbed the eggs out and some of their homemade adzuki bacon in. It was really super delicious. I highly recommend this place.

There is a lot of walking to be done in the Venice area, so we quickly worked our appetite by mid-afternoon and had a snack break at Sinners & Saints. Terry tried a cute lemon, raspberry mini-cheesecake, while I again went for chocolate in the form of a gluten-free cupcake. Great service, the owner was super friendly. And the desserts were decadent without feeling like we overindulged.

After more walking and exploring, we were ready for the main food attraction of our trip. I had high expectations for Little Pine and it did not disappoint! We had made reservations as we heard it could fill up. We were quickly seated and the staff were friendly and helpful and explained that the menu was designed to have people share dishes and that each person should order 2 dishes. We opted for 3 dishes total and dessert (yup, more dessert). One of the things I like best is that it is completely vegan, so no need to ask pesky questions and wonder if people will understand, etc.
This was by far the BEST food we had of the trip. The food was transcendental, it brought us to another whole level of food appreciation. And I would actually go far as to say that this is now in my top five best food experiences ever. Yes, that good! We split the Broccoli Arancini (so good!), the Mushroom Bourgignon (utterly fantastic), and the Ravioli al Tartufo (which was mind blowing – I can’t even describe how good it is – best dish we had). Annnd the S’mores Ganache for dessert (I have no words…).

Oh and as a bonus – the prices are actually reasonable!

The next morning, we found out there was a local Farmer’s Market (Mar Vista Market) going on that was close enough to walk to. We weren’t really expecting much, just thought it would be fun to go and check out. Our expectations were wildly exceeded when we found a bunch of awesome vegan vendors.

Like The Ridiculous Baking Company that is a an awesome gem. It’s an organic baking company with delicious pastries. They are ridiculously awesome!

We also found a vegan chocolate stand!!!! It puts almost all other vegan chocolate to shame! Chocovivo really makes their own chocolate (bean to bar!). It is the purest treat that has ever graced my tongue. We walked away with some bars as gifts.

As someone who doesn’t typically come across vegan & gluten-free baked goods, I loaded up on this trip. We checked out Rising Hearts completely vegan & gluten-free bakery and took back several treats. We enjoyed the seasonal flavours.

Lunch was spent at one of my fav places, Real Food Daily. We have been there a few times before and always really enjoy it. This trip was no different. We each tried a basic bowl, wanting to eat something nourishing. It really hit the spot and was perfect fuel for a long day.

For supper, we made the trek out to Doomie’s LA. They have a location in Toronto and a Canadian friend said it’s a must try. As we drove up to the sketchy-looking strip mall, I wasn’t so sure. Walking in didn’t assuage my concerns any as it kind of looked like a dive bar, but I’m not one to judge before trying. The server was super friendly, the food came out quickly and it was SO GOOD. Definitely a greasy, junky meal, but if you’re going to go that route, this is the place. I tried the Chicken Parm Sub and Terry got the Spicy Chicken Sandwich.

And on the way to the airport on our last day, I had to get in a trip to Native Foods. Another old favourite. We went in thinking of getting something healthy-ish… but knew we typically eat that way at home and why not get something we don’t typically get, especially when we have no idea when we’ll be back. Terry got a Twister Wrap and I got my tried & true Native Southwestern Burger. Good stuff!

I used to be ashamed to admit that I enjoy fried things. I really like french fries and potato chips. Before my path to health, I used to eat these things basically on the daily. I stopped for a long time, but realized I still enjoy them. And having things in moderation is ok. AND if I can find a healthier way to enjoy fried things, then that’s pretty cool too.

So this happened!!!

I’ve heard of several bloggers getting one and I wasn’t into buying yet another kitchen gadget… but a friend gave me a gift card or Christmas, so I treated myself. You get the delicious taste of deep fried things without as much guilt. Win! Home made french fries were our first attempt and it went really well. I wanted to give tofu a try. Success!

Combine dry ingredients in small bowl. Add the wet and stir together. Pour this over the cubed tofu and allow to marinate 30 minutes. Sprinkle on another tbsp of brown rice flour and mix it up just before putting it in the air fryer. Air fry at 350 for 18 minutes.

I wanted to throw some “fries” in there afterwards, so I actually put the tofu in the toaster oven at 200 to keep warm while the fries cooked.

Happy Happy Friday! I had to have my eyes dilated earlier this week and thought you might get a kick out of my alien-like eyeballs haha.

Anyone have any exciting plans for the weekend? I’m in Canada taking care of my momma as she had her knee replaced earlier this week. The next couple of weeks will be low key for me while I take care of her. I am however excited that Sarina is making the trek to my mom’s house to visit me. YAY!

It is COLD here on the east coast. I’m totally looking to make warm, comforting recipes like this. And as my mom’s kitchen is lacking a bit in fancy tools like my kitchen at home, I’m loving this easy crockpot recipe.

I never used to be a fan of molasses, or so I thought. I was wrong, the stuff is actually really awesome and has a ton of health benefits. These cute cookies also remind me that Cape Breton in Canada is on my to-see list – it sounds breathtakingly beautiful. What a fun, vegan twist with this traditional cookie.

This warming soup sounds perfect right about now. I like this spin on a New Year’s Day tradition to usher good luck into the year. It’s jam packed with veggies & flavours and sure to make your tastebuds and belly happy.

I will admit to being a huge chocolate lover. So much so, that I typically turn my nose up at all other desserts. But these goldeny delicious tarts sound simply amazing. Mia & Zoe even made their own vegan egg wash for them!

I love a good tofu scramble. And let’s be honest – she had me at mushrooms. It seems like Mary Ellen loves them just as much as I do haha. I like the idea using veggie broth instead of more oil. This would add to the flavour too! Delicious!

Side note – I had meant to write this post up before the holidays. Terry and I went on a long weekend trip to Los Angeles. We had a GREAT time and after putting in a bunch of volunteer hours over November & December, it was just what I needed to relax & reset. Annnnnd I left my phone on the plane. Yup. I am the type of person who does not lose things. I’m organized, can be counted on, am not flakey (mostly… haha) and I don’t lose things. It was horrible. After a few days, I gave up hope, but Delta Airlines (YAY Delta!), recently found my phone and returned it to me. It had all of our trip pictures on it and I’m happy to finally share some with you. A separate post will be up next week with food =)

Checked out the store Vegan Scene. Super cute little store with awesome cruelty free clothing. They were having a sale so I walked out with some tops. I highly recommend this awesome store if you are ever in the Venice, CA area.

Check out my awesome top from Vegan Scene:

Checking out Santa Monica

We decided to check out a Warner Bros Studio Tour.

We saw some Gilmore Girls scenes!!! (like the secret bar, etc)

Fuller House house

Batman and Wonder Woman

And Harry Potter

And in the interest of saving the best for last. FRIENDS!

We got a tiny glimpse of the Hollywood sign

The last day we stayed, I got up early to catch a sunrise run over the Venice Canals

Already looking forward to our next Southern California adventure (I’m looking at you San Diego!).

“Chocolate & vanilla swiiiiiirrrrrllll” Anyone else an Orange is the New Black fan? I’m a bit of an addict. I know that the swirl song doesn’t have anything to do with food, but hey – it inspired me to make these awesome sauce swirl cups.

With the holiday craziness having died down, I’m finding myself wanting to be more creative with food, especially desserts. I can’t bake to save my life, but no-bake treats are a specialty of mine. I think I brought my game to the next level with these sweet treats.

Place the pecans in the food processor and pulse the nuts until they break down finely. Add the remaining ingredients, without the water, and process until the mixture sticks together in a big ball. If it’s too dry, add a bit of water.

Mould the mixture into 6 cupcake liners. If using silicone ones, grease them a bit with coconut oil to make sure they pop out without sticking. Place the prepared cups in the freezer.

Melt the chocolate on low-medium heat until almost completely melted and then remove from heat. Stir the mixture until it is perfectly smooth, then add the coconut milk and stir until well combined.

Topping
1 can of full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the fridge

Remove the coconut milk from the fridge, open the lid and scoop out the solidified top into a bowl. Add a couple of tbsp of the liquid (reserving the rest for smoothies, etc) and beat with an electric mixer on low heat to begin, gradually working up to medium and beat for 4 minutes when the mixture looks like whipped cream.

Take your prepared cupcake liners from the freezer, portion out the chocolate filling mixture between the 6 cups. Now using a small spoon, scoop out a little bit of the coconut cream and dot the chocolate mixture in a few places (small pinky-finger sized dots). Then take a toothpick and swirl it around for a marble effect. Freeze for 4 hours and keep frozen until ready to serve. Take them out about 5 minutes before you would like to enjoy them. I garnished them with cacao nibs & toasted coconut flakes.

They are slightly labour intensive, but definitely worth making when you want to bring that “wow” factory for someone.

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I'm Kimmy, a holistic nutritionist on the path to healthy living and loving myself. I want to share my passion for kale and chocolate with you. I focus on allergy-friendly recipes and you will find some appetizing healthy eats as well as some delicious indulgences here. ♥